Members of a patient forum have succeeded in improving access to a new walk-in health centre.

There were concerns about pedestrian access to the facility at Bensham Hospital in Gateshead.

But these have now been resolved after Gateshead Primary Care Patient and Public Involvement Forum met with the Primary Care Trust and the borough council to find two alternative routes.

Forum chairwoman Christine Squires said: "The new walk-in centre is a great addition to health care facilities in Gateshead, but difficulties that would have arisen from the initial proposed pedestrian route may have resulted in many people being unable to access the service."